Let me start by explaining where I’m coming from. I’m pretty much a standard Windows user. I liked XP, I was ok with 7 and ok with 10. But overall I don’t like a lot of things about Windows I think we can all agree on; business practices, spying, lack of customization, cost, etc.
In the past, I have tried to move to Linux more than once including a failed dual boot situation. There are things I really, really like about Linux that I can’t believe aren’t part of Windows. Despite that I really hate Linux. I’ll explain that opinion so you can trash me with facts. Just understand that this is the way I see it.
First, being primarily a Windows user means I am uncomfortable with using all of the little squiggles around the outside of the keyboard to get things done. At one point I was using the most Windows-like version where I could click and download a package which was fine, but eventually I found one that had to be done manually, so this feels like inconsistency. In the dual boot situation I found myself using Windows constantly because I could not get online with Linux for some reason, which meant I had to boot in Windows to research the problem only in the end to have people tell me that the components of the computer I built were too new and I would have to wait for someone to write drivers. There are a lot of equivalent programs in Linux to Windows and I use some of them now, like Open Office, Audacity(which I love), Firefox( which I hate) and probably more I can’t think of at the moment. I currently have a computer attached to my TV that I made really cheap from parts I had laying around and I’m running Mint on it. The only thing it is used for is watching YouTube videos on the big screen, usually exercise videos. It IS a problem. It loads up ridiculously slow.
So my experience has been bad overall every time I try and yes I realize I’m not doing it right. I’m not a typical Linux user.
But here’s the thing, I WANT to be a Linux user mostly because I hate Microsoft so much. And now especially because according to Lemmy Windows 11 is a shit show of advertising and other crap and apparently my roughly 2 year old and still fairly powerful desktop does not meet their requirements due to that stupid chip it needs to have. I do not wish to buy a new computer and I do not wish to be a Windows slave again.
So the question is, is there hope for me giving this another try? I’m not a power user but I do use my computer for a lot of things. I will get specific here.
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Surfing the net. It needs to NOT lag or fail to connect.
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I play games with my friend online every Monday. Most of the games are on Steam. So far we have played: Borderlands Borderlands 2 Borderlands 3 Borderlands the pre sequel Tiny Tina’s Wonderland Diablo 4 Grimm Dawn Aliens fire team elite
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I edit videos. I use Sony Vegas pro 13. It was expensive and I’m used to it. It is important to me.
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I do some word processing and spreadsheet stuff. Currently I use Open Office as I mentioned.
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Audio conversion and manipulation with Audacity.
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Drawing and photo manipulation. I use a variety of programs. The most important ones in order are CorelCad. It is basically AutoCad and was expensive to buy and I’m used to it. Fusion 360, also important for 3D printing. Prusa slicer for 3D printing and one called Photofiltre. It’s a simple free program I believe does have a Linux version. These are important to me.
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Programming microcontrollers for projects using the Arduino IDE.
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I use a program called Vetric which programs the tool path for my CNC router.
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A number of smaller more rarely used programs like one to convert a font into hexadecimal, one that normalizes mp3 files, one that captures what I do on the screen, etc.
If I had it my way, I would just continue using Windows 10. I more or less know how it works and it really doesn’t give me any problems. However with this end of life thing approaching I will eventually need to migrate somehow for security’s sake, right? I mean I don’t even know if half of these programs will be compatible with Windows 11.
I should also mention that I’m a goal oriented person. I just want to use it, I don’t want to tinker with it. That goes for pretty much any tool. I consider the OS a tool.
So given that encyclopedia of information, do you think I could/should give Linux another try? If so, which distro should I go with that will be the most compatible with my hardware and usage?
Regarding hardware, I’m not home now so just genetically I have an AMD Rhyzen 7 processor, a Radeon video card, sort of upper mid tier, 32 GB of RAM, decent motherboard and a boatload of storage.
Feel free to ask questions and I will now don my flameproof jacket for the absolute shit storm of criticism in guessing that’s heading my way. Thank you in advance.
That actually was the driver of the question because it’s been years since I last tried and wanted to know how much had changed. I am very much of the mindset of shedding this hated ball and chain but, yeah, not willing to give up things I strongly rely on.
As far as the connection goes I’m not saying it can’t stumble from time to time but the two issues I had with Linux in the past was that it simply wouldn’t connect AT ALL. And currently when I pull up the Linux box on the TV to exercise, I might as well go make a smoothie while I’m waiting for a video to load. This is only acceptable because I didn’t want to pay for an OS for that machine and I don’t use it often. After the initial video loads, it runs pretty much normally.
On my Windows machine everything loads pretty quickly under normal circumstances. I’m pretty satisfied.
the two issues I had with Linux in the past was that it simply wouldn’t connect AT ALL.
Yeah, that’s frustrating. It’s usually result of buying network hardware whose manufacturer neither supports Linux nor releases the specs that would allow the community to do the work for them. (Another sad effect of Microsoft’s market dominance.) Sometimes a working driver or firmware can be manually installed or enabled. Other times, the only sane fix is to buy/beg/borrow a better network card.
Next time you’re hardware shopping, it might be worthwhile to pick something with a known-good network chip, or just buying from a vendor that offers Linux preinstalled.
And currently when I pull up the Linux box on the TV to exercise, I might as well go make a smoothie while I’m waiting for a video to load.
I hate waiting for machines, too. Slow boot can be caused by a number of things, but the most common one is probably just plain old slow storage media. If you’re booting from a slow USB drive or SD card, you’ll probably get better results by using a faster one. (I’m assuming the machine you built from cheap parts is capable of fast storage and not memory-starved.)
For what it’s worth, my Linux systems are fast and have no network trouble, so it’s definitely possible to achieve. (Even the Raspberry Pi that drives my TV.)
I hope you get it figured out!
Actually the boot on the Linux box is fast it’s only loading the first YouTube video that’s a problem but it seems to be as problem whether I use Firefox or chromium.
Are you using flatpack or normal installs of firefox/chromium?
Do you have a bunch of/ any addons?
It really shouldn’t load very slow.
I have some VERY old systems. One with only 3GB RAM and the onboard video out to DisplayPort to an HDMI adapter.
Loads fine.
Vivaldi runs much faster though.
Consider disabling background services and apps you don’t need.
Mint xfce is a super lightweight version. Can be customized in nearly infinite ways to match your needs.
Any Linux DE or distro you choose will require some learning, some tinkering.
Imagine being a new user to windows nowadays and trying to figure out where your settings are. Are they in control panel, settings, msinfo, or some other command line only accessible thing, what do these hexcodes in this registry thing mean?
If you choose to do a little learning and a little tinkering, you choose the ability to do things your way. Sometimes it’s simple. Sometimes it isn’t. But for the most part, for most people, any problem is a simple fix.
The best resources i know of are The Arch wiki for setup and config for almost everything; overstack for those unique or odd questions; and your distros docs and community pages.